DISCUSS: is it a burdensome task which unfairly penalises stressed ndergraduates? Or a dependable method which has proven successful over the centuries? One of Scotland's leading universities is considering breaking with the age-old tradition of forcing students to write their exam answers in longhand by allowing them to use their own laptops.

Senior officials at Edinburgh University believe it is unfair to expect undergraduates to resort to pens and paper during critical assessments when most of their coursework is done using a keyboard. The institution currently allows divinity students to type on their own computers in exams and a consultation has now been launched to consider extending the "e-exams" across other subjects.